The Waffle House, Norwich

This is a great place for a fun dinner out. The food tastes fabulous and there is a wide variety of options to go with your waffles! The prices offer great value and allow you to have a really great dinner or lunch for under £10. The people are really nice, although occasionally the service is a tad slow, though of course that would depend on how shy you are:) All in all I would definitely recommend The Waffle House to anyone, though not to anyone who doesn't like waffles.

In Norwich is a well kept secret, known mainly to locals. The Waffle House is hidden, a very short walk from the famously colourful market. Standing facing the city hall, take a short walk up past Tesco, and on your right you will find a cosy looking bistro, with comfortable pine furniture and a warm glow of friendliness.

The Waffle House gets very busy at lunchtimes and evenings, so it is advisable to get there early, eat out of normal dining hours or, if there are six or more of you, book first. The reason for its popularity is the three golden rules for a good restaurant; good food, good service and value for money.

The menu is all waffle based (ordinary or wholemeal), with fresh ingrediants and salads. Breakfast is served daily until noon, and starts from just under a fiver to £6.75, for a magnificent brunch of waffle topped with a choice of breakfast items, fresh juice and tea or coffee; definitely worth getting into town early for! Savoury waffles start from as little as £2.30 for a small garlic waffl,e going up to around £7 for one topped with Bolognese, or cheese and ham. All the ingrediants are freshly prepared and delicious, with plenty of organic produce. To satisfy all appetites from the hungriest shopper, to the person wanting a quick bite between stores. All waffles are offered in two sizes. To accompany the main course, is a delectable salad bowl, at £2.20 or £2.90. Using fresh seasonal ingrediants, again as much organic as available to them, with a choice of homemade dressings.

If you have room after this, the best is yet to come the sweet waffles! Of course you could always skip the savouries and go straight for the sweets! Again, these all come in two sizes, so instead of a traditional English cream tea, why not try a sweet waffle one day for change? Plain waffles smothered in butter start from £1.90, and as there is real maple syrup on the table, (just part of the cruet set here!), a cheap mouth-watering snack is always available. The list of dessert waffles is sublime; almost any combination you choose from: fresh bananas, cream, banoffee, butterscotch sauce, spiced fruit, hot Dutch apple, chocolate mousse and extra toppings available too. One of my favourites is the pecan nut waffle, served with butterscotch sauce, this has the nuts baked into the waffle as well as sprinkled on top divine! If you are too full to face a waffle, but still in the mood for something sweet, then most of the toppings are available seperately in a dish, with cream and/or ice cream.

I have been visiting this gem of a place since 1978 ,not long after it first opened (yeah, I know, I'm old!), and have never once been let down or disappointed. An independant restaurant, staffed by a friendly, helpful young team, nothing is too much trouble, and they encourage you to experiment with their menu, so adapting things to your taste is perfectly feasible. We have had some fun concocting various creations over the years! There is a good selection of organic (and non-organic) wines and beers, soft drinks, and hot beverages to suit all the varying preferences of my family.

My teenage son has become an aficionado too, and often takes his girlfriend there, as it is within the range of his wallet. It is a perfect place to take vegetarian friends, as pride is taken to provide a wide range of veggie options, both on the menu and on the specials each day. Care is taken to keep all vegetarian foods separate from the meats, and vegetarian cheese is also provided. This snug eatery suits so many people; romantic lovers, families, gossiping friends, and can also accommodate parties of up to fourty people upstairs.

Discounts and special offers are available; a two course lunch is available on the specials board for a mere £5.75. The price of a good filling, fresh meal here, is very reasonable at around £25 for a two course lunch with drinks, for three people. But still you can get it 10% cheaper if you have a student card, or like me, have son who is a student. This was the place my son took me out to dine (at his expense!) for the first time, and we had a wonderful time. Now he has turned eighteen, he often drops in for a quick snack with an organic beer.

The only drawback I have found, is that if you have a nut allergy, this is not the place to eat. Due to a large section of the menu including nuts, and with the kitchen area being small. there is no guarantee that nut traces will not cross over into other meals.

Opening Hours:

Mon - Sat 10am - 10pm

Sun - 11am - 10pm